Musée Marmottan Monet
One for the Impressionist fans: the Musée Marmottan Monet holds over 100 pieces from Monet himself, making it the largest Monet collection on offer, and over 300 pieces from the most famous Impressionist artists of the era, including Degas, Manet, Sisley, Renoir and Gauguin. This isn’t exactly a small museum, and has been running in one form or another since 1934, but it is less well-known than the Louvre, the d’Orsay and even the Orangerie, which is the other less-well-known Monet gallery. 

The Musée Marmottan Monet is open daily from 10am-6pm, until 8pm on Tuesdays and closed on Mondays.  Tickets are €10, €5 for concessions and free for Under Sevens. Find it at 2 Rue Louis Boilly and check out the website at www.marmottan.com.

Espace Dalí Montmartre
A celebration of the world’s most famous surrealist, the Dali museum has a great location in Montmartre, so while you’re wandering around the twisty, cobbled streets near the Sacre-Coeur you can pop into the workings of the twisty mind of Salvador Dali.  It’s a small and beautifully laid out museum, with a feeling of Pan’s Labyrinth as you wander through the art.  There are written bits for you to follow and get a feel for the workings of the Dalien mind.

The Espace Dalí is tucked away in Montmartre, but the organisers have cottoned on that advertising is the way to go and there are boards pointing you in the right direction from the Artist’s Square.  It is open daily from 10am-6pm, and tickets are €10 and €6 for concessions; see www.daliparis.com for more details and find the museum on 11 Rue Poulbot off the Place de Tertre.

Galerie Jeu de Paume
Moving onto contemporary art, the Galerie Jeu de Paume is remarkably central and provides something a little bit different from the famous classics.  It also has a beautiful building of its own and interesting history, being once used as a store for Jewish cultural property during the Nazi occupation of Paris.  The Nazis sold off much of this work on the international art market, viewing it as unworthy for themselves, and work that couldn’t be sold off was burned in a bonfire, which rather unfortunately included pieces by Picasso and Dali.  

Now, the museum houses exhibitions that come and go over several months, and you can see what’s currently on offer at www.jeudepaume.org or pop on over to the Place de la Concorde to the museum itself.  The Jeu de Paume is open on Tuesdays 12pm-9pm, Wed-Fri 12pm-7pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm and closed on Mondays.  Tickets are 8.50 and €5.50 for concessions.

Musee Carnavalet
The Musée Carnavalet is a great one to visit if you want to appreciate art while learning a bit about Paris at the same time.   The museum is dedicated to the history of the city, and is a mixture of objects, art and photography related to the city.  Exploring everything from archaeology to furniture to sculptures to photography, the Carnavalet will amaze you – budget a lot of time for this place.

The museum has spread over two buildings: the Hotel Carnavalet and the neighbouring Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau, at 23 rue de Sévigné.  It is open from Tuesday to Sunday 10am-6pm, and tickets are €4.50/€3.50 for concessions.  For more info about the collections and exhibitions, visit http://carnavalet.paris.fr.